


A Compromise

by Noteventhat (Facialteeth)



Series: Rarepairs [14]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Conflict Resolution, Cuddling, Domestic Fluff, Grumpy Raphael Santiago, M/M, Moving In Together, Multi, Post-Canon, Protective Raphael Santiago, Shadowhunter Jace Herondale, Simon's POV, VDay2021, Vampire Raphael Santiago, Vampire Simon Lewis, valentines day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:40:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29240742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Facialteeth/pseuds/Noteventhat
Summary: When Jace suggested they should move to Idris and Raphael whole heartedly disagreed, Simon knew he was bound to be stuck in the middle of the argument until they came to a solution that they all liked - though Simon couldn't possibly think of one that would please them all. Thankfully, Jace came up with something.
Relationships: Simon Lewis/Raphael Santiago/Jace Wayland
Series: Rarepairs [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1915978
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29
Collections: Valentine's Day 2021





	A Compromise

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Love Me When It Hurts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28655499) by [ByTheAngell (SomeLittleInfamy)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeLittleInfamy/pseuds/ByTheAngell). 



> This was written for the Hunter's Moon Discord Server 'Valentine’s Day or Halloween' event, for the mood board below.
> 
> This work was also directly inspired by the work listed above, which I highly recommend everyone go read because it's lovely.

Moving to Idris had been a hard choice for Jace, Simon and Raphael and one that had involved many late nights, discussing the pros and cons of doing so - with Raphael mostly posing cons and Jace mostly posing pros while Simon tried futility to help them come to any kind of a conclusion on the subject.

With Alec being the new Consul and the downworlders suddenly being allowed in Idris, Jace wanted them to go. Alec and Magnus had moved to the city, as well as Izzy and most of the people that Jace and Simon cared about in New York. Jace wanted to be with them and he was only emboldened by the fact that Simon didn’t think it was a bad idea either, though Simon tried not to show absolute support considering that Raphael didn’t think it was a good idea at all.

Raphael insisted he wasn’t _against_ the idea of moving to Idris in and of itself but it was being surrounded by shadowhunters every single day that he found issue with. Simon couldn't really fault him for that. He was probably more comfortable around shadowhunters than any other vampire, considering he had been one before being turned, but even he had to admit that moving to a place so full of them would feel a little uncomfortable.

Honestly, part of Simon was torn. He’d always loved Idris. It was a beautiful country that Simon had so many fond memories of but Simon hadn’t been allowed back since he was turned. The thought of being able to go and make Idris into a home again, especially with the people he loved, was appealing but it seemed too good to be true.

Simon was not a shadowhunter anymore and even with all the changes Alec was making, Idris would not exactly feel like home again, even though Simon wished it would be that easy. Even when Simon walked into the New York Institute, the building he’d live in for most of his life, he was always aware that he was an outsider now and that the shadowhunters were watching him out of the corner of their eyes. He couldn’t even imagine how Raphael must feel, having no connection to the shadowhunters at all, having no connection to Idris but being asked to move there.

Alec had already offered Raphael the position to be the representative for the Vampires, if he wanted it and that did seem to entice Raphael a little but Raphael was never completely on board with working to make the world a better place with the shadowhunters. He wanted that of course but even as much as he’d grown to respect Alec, he stated he was rather sick of putting in the work to undo what the shadowhunters had done in the first place - which ruffled Jace’s feathers a little bit even though Simon understood what Raphael meant.

It was just at the point that Simon really thought that they’d never come to any kind of agreement about it, that Jace barged into the Hotel Dumort, more specifically into Raphael and Simon’s (and pretty much Jace’s, if Simon was being honest) room, instantly speaking with an intensity that made both his vampire boyfriends still and turn to look at him.

“We’re going to look at a house,” he snapped.

Raphael blinked slowly. “A house?” He echoed, sounding none too impressed.

“You don’t want to live in Alicante. I get that. Too many shadowhunters, who likes them anyway but I found a _house_.” Jace paused for a moment, as if he had fully expressed his idea, which he had not. “It’s in Idris but it’s _not_ in Alicante,” Jace continued finally, when Raphael still failed to look impressed by his idea. It was clear Jace thought the city of Alicante was the problem and not Idris itself. Simon wasn’t exactly sure how Raphael would feel about that. “It’s secluded and nice and _not in Alicante_ , did I mention that?”

Simon was pretty sure Jace was speaking to Raphael but Simon answered anyway, “You did mention that once or twice.”

Jace merely nodded, hardly even glancing in Simon’s direction. Simon would be offended but he understood that he wasn’t exactly the person who needed convincing here. “Good, I’ll say it one more time for good measure: It’s not in Alicante.” Jace paused, waiting for a response from Raphael which yet again, failed to come.

“I know you’ve been thinking about taking Alec’s job offer. You don’t want to live in Alicante. We’re going to look at this house. You can hate it but we’re going to look and you’re going to come and you’re not going to complain about it until you see it, okay?”

Raphael stayed still for a long moment before he rolled his eyes and nodded. “Fine.”

Jace practically leapt in the air before he was turning to Simon, rambling, “It’s so nice, Si.” Jace moved forward, wrapping his arms around Simon’s shoulders to tug him backwards until they were both lying sprawled on the bed together. “It’s made of this nice rock and it has pretty vines outside and these cool windows-”

“It sounds unkempt,” Raphael commented mildly.

“No complaining until you see it!” Jace snapped, lifting his head to glare at Raphael from across the bed.

Again, Raphael rolled his eyes and after a moment, Jace launched back into his description.

Three days later they did in fact go to see this house Jace had found and when they portaled to the outside of it, Simon had to admit that it did look rather pretty. It was on the outskirts of the country with no one around for miles, deep in the woods. The house had been abandoned for a few decades and it looked it but all the windows were intact and overall, it looked more overgrown than decrepit.

It was pretty but undoubtedly shadowhunter architecture. It reminded Simon of a tiny, less overbearing institute with its stone arches and gothic exterior. Simon liked it but he glanced sideways to Raphael, who was looking at the building with a pointedly blank expression on his face.

“It looks cold,” he commented at last.

Instantly, Jace was speaking, “It has a wooden fireplace and you’re dead.”

Raphael's gaze sharpened into a glare. “I meant it looks cold for you.”

Jace jumped to point to a rune on his arm. “Shadowhunter and wooden fireplace! Come look inside, I’ll show you.”

Raphael had a look on his face like he was trying to hold back a groan but he followed Jace towards the door without another word.

“It’s pretty,” Simon stated, which earned him a soft glare from Raphael and a grin from Jace.

The inside of the house was surprisingly more charming than the outside. Though everything had a fine layer of dust over it, you wouldn’t be able to tell otherwise that the building had sat unused for so long. Everything was still intact and with the pale moonlight drifting in the windows, lighting all the fine dust in pale hues, Simon had to admit that it had a certain kind of charm to it.

“You’re going to get sick breathing all that in,” Raphael said gruffly before looking to Simon, snapping, “Don’t breathe.”

Jace rolled his eyes, “I’m not going to get sick.”

“There’s probably lead in here,” Raphael continued.

“There is not. It’s all stone anyway.”

Quietly, Raphael huffed. “Don’t step on any nails,” he grumbled, following behind Jace with his arms crossed. “This place is a death trap.”

“Thankfully, two out of the three of us are already dead,” Jace quipped back, something that Raphael didn’t look too reassured by.

Simon grabbed Raphael’s tense arm, squeezing it softly. “I think it would look cute, without all the dust and with some actual furniture inside.”

Raphael gave a soft hum and said nothing more but his arm relaxed under Simon’s touch as they followed Jace towards the bedroom, listening as Jace pointed and explained how the house would look with all of their things in it.

Raphael didn’t seem to have much else to say because he stayed silent through the rest of Jace’s ramblings, bearing them without comment.

“You hate it,” Jace accused once they’d finished with the unofficial tour.

“I don’t hate it.” Raphael said simply, despite not murmuring a single good word about the house since they stepped inside.

“Then what?” Jace asked, frowning in Raphael’s direction and waiting patiently for their grumpy boyfriend to finally decide to express himself.

When Raphael realized Jace wasn’t planning on moving on without him answering and Simon wasn’t planning on speaking either, he rolled his eyes again. “I just think you're going to regret it,” he snapped, not making eye contact with either of them.

For a moment, Jace stammered. Even Simon was surprised by that answer.

“Why would he regret it?” Simon asked quietly.

Again, Raphael rolled his eyes, seeming aggravated that they were pressing him on it. Simon knew Raphael acted like that when he was trying to avoid answering but Simon and Jace had both learned if they just stayed quiet, he’d be forced to express himself one way or another. “We’re vampires,” Raphael explained, something that Simon wasn’t exactly surprised by. “We should live in places like this, far away from everyone else but Jace isn’t. Jace likes people. Jace likes his siblings. Jace likes Alicante.”

Raphael turned to look to Jace, glaring softly. “You’re going to regret moving all the way out here and you’re going to resent me for not wanting to live in your city.”

For a second, no one spoke. Jace opened his mouth and then closed it before he finally opened it again. “What?” He snapped. “Why would I have brought you all the way out here to look at the house if I didn’t want to live here with you?”

Raphael said nothing and after a beat, Jace kept speaking. “I don’t care about Alicante. I want to live with both of you and this place is nice. I don’t care that it’s isolated. We can grow herbs outside and there’s enough room for Simon to make music and we can decorate and make it look less-” Jace waved his arms vaguely. “-shadowhuntery.” Jace blinked a few times but when Raphael simply stared, he kept speaking, his voice a little softer now. “Why would you think I’d regret that? Living with both of you is all I’ve ever wanted and this place is so nice. I thought you’d like it, after you saw it.”

Raphael blinked for another few seconds before he glanced around the house once again, his expression softening just a little. “It is kind of nice,” he mumbled at last. “Can we even get electricity out here?” He asked, which was as much of an approval as Jace and Simon were bound to get. Anything but a ‘no’ from Raphael was undoubtedly a ‘yes’.

“Yes, we can!” Jace said, grinning. He glanced to Simon, his expression suddenly immensely excited and pleading. “Simon?”

Simon laughed softly. “Of course, _I_ love it.”

Jace let out a soft cheer before he was turning towards the kitchen, going on about how they’d ask Magnus for a portal so they could move what they needed for the night.

Raphael rolled his eyes again but now, Simon could see a small smile on his face that he was clearly trying to keep down. “We’re going to spend Valentine's Day in an empty creepy house?” Raphael asked.

For a second, Simon blinked, reminded suddenly that tomorrow was in fact Valentine's Day.

Jace turned around to look back at both of them with a grin. “No, we’re going to spend Valentine’s Day in _our_ empty creepy house.”

Originally, Simon had planned that he and his boyfriends would spend Valentine’s Day at the hotel. He’d hoped they’d have a movie night and spend the evening cuddling but… clearing out the thick layer of dust that was covering every inch of their new home sounded kind of nice too.

With the assurance that Jace wouldn’t resent them for making him move to the middle of nowhere, Raphael seemed far more interested in the entire concept. He wanted them to replace everything in the kitchen, so he could cook for Jace with appliances that weren’t a hundred years old. He liked Jace’s idea of growing their own herbs. He decided to keep Alec hanging for a few extra days before he finally admitted that he’d take the position he was offered but even that, he suddenly seemed much more excited for.

Simon himself was told he could help teach at the academy if he wanted. They were looking for more downworlders to help teach the classes about downworlders and though that did seem kind of fun, Simon decided to spend some time at home, at their _new_ home.

He and Jace were going to redo the wood floor all by themselves. Simon wasn’t too sure how it would come out, considering that neither of them knew how to lay a floor down but it seemed like a fun thing to do with Jace while Raphael was working.

Overall, that first day of cleaning wasn’t exactly how Simon had envisioned spending Valentine’s Day but it was a rather nice way to spend the day. Simon wasn’t exactly sure how ready he was to jump into Shadowhunter affairs again but living in Idris in an adorable house with his boyfriends was a lovely start and even Raphael seemed much more at ease having to interact with the shadowhunters, when he could come home and avoid every single one of them, except the one they lived with.

To Simon, it felt like a promise for the future that no matter how different they all were, they’d carve out a place for them all to exist together. It wasn’t Alicante but it was close enough. It wasn’t away from the shadowhunters entirely but it was far enough away that Raphael did not feel uncomfortable and Simon did not feel torn between his old life as one of them and his new one, as a vampire.

Jace himself? Well, Jace was just excited they liked it and when they were all so tired that they couldn’t clean any longer, they curled up together on a bundle of blankets they brought. Jace had sipped a glass of wine, while Simon and Raphael drank blood. They snuggled on the cold ground in the silence of their empty home that still did not have electricity in and Simon found that he couldn’t have imagined a better way to spend Valentine’s Day, even as unconventional as it was.

Simon loved them both so much. He thought it was rather obvious that they loved each other based on the fact that they made such a big choice like moving in together but for now, Simon kept that thought to himself anyway. Saying it for the first time on Valentine's Day was romantic but Simon thought if he said it while they were already doing so much, he might really just scare Raphael away for good.

Simon didn’t say it, not that night but he curled into Raphael’s shoulder and clutched Jace’s warm arm close and he thought it hoping they’d feel it somehow.


End file.
